An Apple a Day

By Herbert Vego

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

That proverbial advice, Google says, first appeared in print in Wales in 1866. The vague reason given was that apple eaters paid fewer visits to doctors than non-apple eaters.

What got me interested about apple was whether it could reverse my diminishing ability to recall words, including names of familiar friends and colleagues.

There was a time when I could not remember where I had parked my car. Was I treading the path to dementia, euphemistically called “senior moments”?

Thereafter I consulted my doctor on what drug to take to prevent the disease. He would rather not prescribe one.

“Wait till you get an AD,” she joked.

AD means Alzheimer’s Disease.

She advised me to keep on writing newspaper columns as a sure way to slow down memory loss.

“Would an apple a day be good for me?”

“Yes.”

She handed me a printed study on the memory-enhancing effects of apples done by a team of medical professors at the University of Massachusetts. The study was originally published in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias.

The team led by Dr. Thomas Shea wrapped up their study with the conclusion that apples may really have huge health benefits, especially for folks fighting the effects of AD.

Dr. Shea’s research team studied 21 patients between the ages of 72 and 93 who had moderate-to-severe AD. He gave them two four-ounce glasses of apple juice each day for a month. After just 30 days, his team noted major changes in mood and behavior.

“In addition to changes in memory, there’s a change in mood that often accompanies AD,” wrote Dr. Shea. “We found that people receiving apple juice displayed fewer of the symptoms. It kept their minds functioning at their best. ”

Dr. Shea’s study also included testing mice in a series of maze trials. He gave them the apple juice each day for 30 days for a series of tests involving repetitive entries/exits through a maze together with “un-appled” mice. The mice that drank apple juice took less time to memorize the right exit points.

The results backed up his theory. The mice produced less “beta amyloid” – the protein fragment which forms “senile plaques” – which are often found in the brains of people with AD.

His team also proved beyond doubt that natural apple juice – not the synthetic canned ones — increases the production of a brain transmitter called acetylcholine, which helps slow the mental decline of people with AD.

A truly healthy apple juice or smoothie is a blend of the entire fruit parts, including its skin, core and crushed seeds that have the highest concentration of natural antioxidants.

Teka muna, I forgot to eat an apple yesterday.

-oOo-

MORE CONNECTIONS, MORE PROGRESS

THERE is no doubt that under the leadership of Mayor Jerry Treñas, Iloilo City has grown by leaps and bounds, as gleaned from our conversation with MORE Power President/CEO Roel Z. Castro, based on the latter’s experience.

Castro told me that the customers of the electricity-distribution utility have grown from 62,000 households to more than 100,000 in its five years of service.

“Our growth is a testament to the trust and support we’ve built within the Iloilo community,” said Castro. “We are dedicated to enhancing our services and ensuring that our customers feel valued every step of the way.”

One recalls that in October 2024, MORE Power revealed its 100,000^th customer, Janneth Dela Cruz, a 50-year-old cook and baker from Brgy. Mansaya, Lapuz, Iloilo, who shed tears of joy when the company surprised her with an unexpected gift package worth P100,000 for that distinction.

In December, Mayor Treñas acknowledged the enormous contribution of MORE Power to the rapid growth of Iloilo City, prompting him to declare MORE Power President Roel Castro as an “Adopted Son of Iloilo City,” recognizing his exceptional leadership in modernizing the city’s power distribution infrastructure and his dedication to community development.